September by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It's almost there, but it misses the mark. The poem is an ottava rima stanza — eight lines of iambic pentameter with an ABABABCC rhyme scheme. This is the same structure Keats used in Isabella and Byron in Don Juan. A Shakespearean sonnet has 14 lines, but this one only has eight, making it resemble the first half of a sonnet or a separate octave.

The Scales are Libra, the zodiac constellation that the sun enters around September 22nd — the autumnal equinox. Longfellow is giving September a human-like quality by representing it as the zodiac figure, and the scales symbolize this beautifully, as the equinox is the exact moment when day and night are in perfect balance.

Haws are the small red berries that grow on hawthorn trees, while hips refer to the red seed pods found on wild roses. Both of these ripen in September, painting the hedgerows a vivid red. They were commonly seen in the countryside of both England and New England, and Longfellow employs them as a quick and clear visual cue for the arrival of early autumn.

The Hunter's Moon is the full moon that comes after the Harvest Moon, which is the full moon nearest to the autumn equinox. It rises big and bright shortly after sunset, providing hunters with ample light to track and chase game into the evening. Referring to it as the "empress of the night" captures its commanding presence as the nights become longer.

The entire Poet's Calendar sequence employs prosopopoeia—a technique that gives a voice to the voiceless. This classic rhetorical device allows Longfellow to imbue each month with its own unique personality instead of merely describing them. September comes across as loud and powerful, while the other months carry quieter or more melancholic tones.

The trumpet is the autumn wind. When September "brings its trumpet" to its lips, it unleashes a storm: clouds scatter, treetops sway wildly, and seabirds head south for the winter. This imagery is also steeped in tradition—heralds and gods use trumpets to signal arrivals and transformations. September is making it clear that it’s a force to be reckoned with.

It sits right in between. The energy is exhilarating—there's genuine excitement in the storm imagery and the blazing red berries. However, autumn in poetry often reminds us that summer has ended and winter is on the way. The Hunter's Moon "reigning" at the end shifts the balance a bit toward melancholy: the nights are now in control.